Interior of Giants' offensive line takes pride in its versatility
Giants guard Ben Bredeson moves in to block Cowboys defensive tackle Neville Gallimore during an NFL game on Sept. 26, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: AP/Steve Luciano
Early in training camp, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas said that to close the gap on the defending NFC champion Eagles, the process had to start up front with the offensive line.
These days, with the Giants putting a bow on the preseason with their game against the Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium, the offensive linemen still believe in that responsibility.
The Eagles, however, can’t be the barometer. At least not for a while. In a scheduling quirk, the Giants don’t play Philadelphia until Christmas Day and then again on Jan. 7. Much of the division race could be decided before the teams meet this season. So the matchup with the Eagles and their pass rush will wait.
After cuts are made Tuesday, the home opener against Dallas on Sept. 10 will have the Giants’ full attention.
But for the majority of training camp, the Giants’ offensive linemen have had great competition from within. Facing Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence on the practice field has been a challenge.
Williams made the point early in camp that “the guys who focus on hitting sometimes lose their technique.”
Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson wouldn’t tolerate that.
“Bobby’s an incredible coach,” guard Ben Bredeson said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. I’ve really enjoyed working with him [and] I think I can speak for just about everybody in the O-line room [and say] that we love working with him. I think he’s exceptional at his job and he brings the best out of us.”
That has included rookie center John Michael Schmitz.
“Culturally, he’s fit right in with us,” Bredeson said. “He hasn’t skipped a beat and he’s coming along really well.”
For much of camp, the Giants rotated their first-team guards.
It wasn’t unusual to see Mark Glowinski at right guard and Bredeson on the left. Or Joshua Ezeudu at left guard and Bredeson on the right.
“It’s just part of being an interior guy,” Bredeson said. “You have to be able to play all three spots [including center]. It keeps it interesting for sure, moving that quick, and you got to be on top of things. It’s something we have gotten used to during camp. We’ve been doing it for a [while] now.”
During team drills, Bredeson sometimes sat out first. Other times, it was Glowinski.
Johnson’s insistence on position flexibility continued through the practices.
Glowinski started 18 games at right guard last season. He also took reps during training camp at left guard.
Ezeudu, who usually lines up on the left side, has gotten practice reps on the right side.
Bredeson, Glowinski and Ezeudu all say they are completely unbothered by the shuffle.
“It’s not new to me,” said Ezeudu, a second-year pro. “In college, I played all four [guard and tackle] spots. I would play two different sides in the same game, the same practice, so I’ve done this before.”
Glowinski, a former Colt, has played not only at both guard spots but at center.
“You have to make sure that everybody is ready and available,” he said.
That’s Johnson’s goal.
“I ask all my guys to have versatility,” Johnson said. “You ask any of my guys, I told them in the room, it adds value. If you are not [tackles] Andrew Thomas or Evan Neal, you better be able to play more than one spot. That’s just the nature of offensive line throughout the league. If you are not a clear-cut, bona fide everyday starter, you have to have versatility. Because you’re going to need that as a group during the season.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
